I See a Line, I Wait In It ~ A January 2016 TR - Completed 12/29

[fallonkendra]

Behold, the Sarah in her natural environment. Note the camera in the right hand, pen held in the same hand, ready to mark off animals on the animal guide held (along with a map) in the left hand:

This made me laugh!

Great photopass pictures! And who doesn't love chocolate?! Good call on stopping by Ghiradelli again

Sorry to hear about all of your bumpy rides on your last day of your trip, that's no fun at all!

I'm sad that your trip report is almost over, it's been so much fun to read (and try to spot myself in the background of your pictures, since we seemed to go the the same parks almost every day haha). Hopefully you'll get to start planning another trip really soon (*coughmarathonweekend2018cough*

 

[rteetz]

What it's over?!?

Well on a happier note great tree of life photos! I love the lion king and pascal ones!

Who doesn't love chocolate? Great idea to make that last stop before going home! I may have to do that in January.

Yay for free wifi! Southwest unfortunately only has the plane tracker and a few select tv stations to watch. I usually watch the New York news because I've never been to New York and I like watching other cities news for some reason.

At least you made it home all good despite the turbulence.

 

[FantasiaMagic]

Aw those magic shots are so cute that you and Beth took. I love the balloons one, so cool! It's always a good idea to go into the Ghirardelli shop! Those cupcakes sound yummy, that's nice you had a little sweet treat for the flight home.
Ugh, sorry about the turbulence, that's not too fun. Glad you and beth got home safe and sound to JFK.
Looking forward to hearing your final thoughts of the trip.

 

[BlvInMagic]

Love the balloons magic shot -- super cute!

 

[Saphire5742]

She was wondering if they would accept 10 baskets of corn as her entrance fee. I pointed out that the races are pretty expensive, so they may want 11 baskets. Pocahontas had a counteroffer … Meeko. I did agree that Meeko was worth the cost of race entry. So if you ever hear about someone trying to use a raccoon to pay for a runDisney race … it’s probably Pocahontas.

That is quite the funny exchange. Congrats on completing your Princess quest

Eventually we got to the front of the line and got some pictures:

(Yes, Baloo is doing his running pose … he’s so funny)

What a funny and cute pic!

ready to mark off animals on the animal guide held (along with a map) in the left hand:

I didn't even know they had animal guides. Need to pay better attention in future

What a really great last day. And ending it with chocolates is always the best.

Wonderful character and PP pictures

 

[natebenma]

Behold, the Sarah in her natural environment. Note the camera in the right hand, pen held in the same hand, ready to mark off animals on the animal guide held (along with a map) in the left hand:

LOL!

All in all, it was not our best safari. We did see some animals, which was good, but we’ve had better safari experiences. Oh well … any safari is better than no safari.

That's the thing, I think- the anticipation and mystery. You never know what you are going to get on the safari. Like a box of chocolates. Wait, that's next update, I believe...


.

 

[natebenma]

OK, where is this and how do you get there???

I remember we used to walk a "secret" path near the Tree of Life and at one point it was closed (I thought permanently) after one of the tree's branches fell down.

What an awesome collection of photopass pix!

We had a balloon shot taken on this trip, but when we looked at the picture, no balloons! I didn't bother calling to have them correct it, though.

Our bus came pretty much on time, and we made our way to the airport with no trouble (although I will state for the record that I hate the new DME videos … I miss the old ones).

I'm with you on that!!!

I cracked up about the mint cupcake story. But it also made me sad. Mint & chocolate is one of my favorite flavor combinations. I am so sorry mint is not your thing.

I'm glad you had a safe and timely flight, even though it was a bit bumpy.

I know you have parting comments coming, but I just wanted to say that I really enjoyed your report. I couldn't keep up with you on the report, as would be the case on the race course! It's a bummer that we didn't have a chance encounter though.


A well deserved



to both you and Beth!

 

[momabaarjo]

I am amazed at your ability to multi task on the safari...something would have ended up outside of the jeep it would have been me. Love all the magic shots...and chocolate departures....that almost makes up for the tragic express....okay maybe not but at least you have something to ease your sorrows.

 

[amazingact21]

The FP+ line was super long. Like, beyond the FP+ entrance. I think it was because they were using a handheld MagicBand scanner instead of the regular FP+ scanning point.

So bumpy that we were willing to call it the bumpiest ride ever.

I noticed these two points the last time I went on KS, as well. It's like in order to take out the "rescuing baby elephant" storyline Disney had to ramp up the bumpiness.



Man, I finally find your report and catch up, and you're on your departure day! That makes me a little sad; I enjoyed reading your report as a whole.
Sorry about the bad turbulance on the way home. Just the thing you needed after the safari adventure...


Stopping to get some chocolate before heading home...very smart idea!

 

[SarahDisney]

This made me laugh!

When I saw it, I thought it was such a hysterical picture ... that really is what I look like on the safari!

Great photopass pictures! And who doesn't love chocolate?! Good call on stopping by Ghiradelli again

Thanks!
And I think Ghirardelli is always a good call.

Sorry to hear about all of your bumpy rides on your last day of your trip, that's no fun at all!

Yeah, that was definitely a bummer.

I'm sad that your trip report is almost over, it's been so much fun to read (and try to spot myself in the background of your pictures, since we seemed to go the the same parks almost every day haha). Hopefully you'll get to start planning another trip really soon (*coughmarathonweekend2018cough*

I'm kinda sad that we never ended up running into each other, since we were pretty much always in the same place at the same time. But maybe I will make it to marathon weekend 2018. I'm hoping to make it back to Disneyland in 2017, which would mean that 2018 is the perfect time to return to WDW!

What it's over?!?

That's pretty much how I feel at the end of every trip...

Well on a happier note great tree of life photos! I love the lion king and pascal ones!

Thanks!

Who doesn't love chocolate? Great idea to make that last stop before going home! I may have to do that in January.

Chocolate as a last stop is always a good idea!

Yay for free wifi! Southwest unfortunately only has the plane tracker and a few select tv stations to watch. I usually watch the New York news because I've never been to New York and I like watching other cities news for some reason.

I think this was only the first or second time that I've had wifi. Usually I just watch what's on TV (either Food Network or the news, which is the same NY news I watch at home occasionally) or read and listen to my iPod. So I was very happy to get wifi.

At least you made it home all good despite the turbulence.

Yep, we were very glad that despite the turbulence, the plane was able to make it to NY okay.

Aw those magic shots are so cute that you and Beth took. I love the balloons one, so cool! It's always a good idea to go into the Ghirardelli shop! Those cupcakes sound yummy, that's nice you had a little sweet treat for the flight home.

Thanks! I really like the balloon one too. And I definitely appreciated having a sweet treat (and chocolate) for the trip home!

Ugh, sorry about the turbulence, that's not too fun. Glad you and beth got home safe and sound to JFK.

Yeah, I'm really not a fan of turbulence, but all's well that ends well!

Looking forward to hearing your final thoughts of the trip.

Hopefully I'll have those final thoughts up soon!

Love the balloons magic shot -- super cute!

Thanks! I really love that one.

That is quite the funny exchange. Congrats on completing your Princess quest

Pocahontas was definitely entertaining.
Thanks!

What a funny and cute pic!

Baloo and King Louie were a lot of fun - I'm glad we got funny pictures with them!

I didn't even know they had animal guides. Need to pay better attention in future

They're usually by the maps - it's just a one-page sheet that lists all of the animals you might see in each area. They're good for attempting to identify animals.

What a really great last day. And ending it with chocolates is always the best.

Definitely the best way to end a good day!

Wonderful character and PP pictures

Thank you!

 

[SarahDisney]

LOL!

I really am one of the most facinating animals on the safari ...

That's the thing, I think- the anticipation and mystery. You never know what you are going to get on the safari. Like a box of chocolates. Wait, that's next update, I believe...

That's one thing about the safari that's both good and bad - you never know what the experience will be. Sometimes you see a lot of animals, sometimes you don't see that many animals ... usually its something in between.
And *SPOILER ALERT* it was actually a bag of chocolates...

OK, where is this and how do you get there???

I remember we used to walk a "secret" path near the Tree of Life and at one point it was closed (I thought permanently) after one of the tree's branches fell down.

I honestly can't remember ... it might be the secret path. We passed it on our way from the safari to the exit, but I don't remember what path we took.

What an awesome collection of photopass pix!

Thanks!

We had a balloon shot taken on this trip, but when we looked at the picture, no balloons! I didn't bother calling to have them correct it, though.

Oh, that's sad!

I'm with you on that!!!

I'm glad I'm not alone in me DME video opinion!

I cracked up about the mint cupcake story. But it also made me sad. Mint & chocolate is one of my favorite flavor combinations. I am so sorry mint is not your thing.

I've never been a mint person. But I'm okay with that ... there are plenty of other non-mint chocolate options!

I'm glad you had a safe and timely flight, even though it was a bit bumpy.

Thanks.

I know you have parting comments coming, but I just wanted to say that I really enjoyed your report. I couldn't keep up with you on the report, as would be the case on the race course! It's a bummer that we didn't have a chance encounter though.


A well deserved



to both you and Beth!

Thank you for your kind words! I really wish I could have tracked you down on that Sunday, but it was just such a hectic day for us. Hopefully we'll be back at WDW at the same time again soon!

I am amazed at your ability to multi task on the safari...something would have ended up outside of the jeep it would have been me. Love all the magic shots...and chocolate departures....that almost makes up for the tragic express....okay maybe not but at least you have something to ease your sorrows.

I am an expert multitasker, it's one of my few skills. Although I'm always impressed when I can get through a safari without losing my pen.
Nothing ever makes up for the tragic express, but I'm glad I had some sweets and a last dose of Disney for my trip home!

I noticed these two points the last time I went on KS, as well. It's like in order to take out the "rescuing baby elephant" storyline Disney had to ramp up the bumpiness.

Yeah, I'm not a big fan of the bumpiness. I'm hoping that they get rid of that storyline soon....

Man, I finally find your report and catch up, and you're on your departure day! That makes me a little sad; I enjoyed reading your report as a whole.

Thanks for taking the time to read through everything - I'm glad you enjoyed!

Sorry about the bad turbulance on the way home. Just the thing you needed after the safari adventure...

Yeah, seriously ... I would much rather have had a smooth ride home.

Stopping to get some chocolate before heading home...very smart idea!

 

[SarahDisney]

Final Thoughts From Our Trip
​

Now that I’m done telling the story of the trip (less than a year after it started!), I wanted to take some time to sit down and share some of the new things we experienced this trip, some of the things we did wrong, some of the things we did right, and some goals for future trips.
I was planning to include some pictures with this update … but then I realized that I posted all of the good pictures as part of the regular updates. So this one’s pictureless. Sorry.

Let’s start with the new experiences we had this trip. I tried to do this in chronological order, but there may be a few things out of order.

• Peter Pan (New) Standby Queue: This was our first time experiencing the new standby queue at PP, and while it was cute, it didn’t really blow us away.
• Splash Mountain: We were not expecting the level of wet we got from this attraction. Seriously. So wet. We definitely enjoyed it (although I kept freaking out because I couldn’t figure out when the big drop was going to happen), and we would absolutely do it again … just maybe not when it’s been raining. Or maybe we’ll wear ponchos next time.
• DIS Meets: This was our first trip meeting up with someone I met on the DIS. I’m very shy, and it’s really hard for me to talk to new people (it’s hard for me to talk to people I know sometimes too), but I think that having developed a relationship with people online made it a little easier to make new friends. I was definitely a little nervous about it, but I’m glad I met some DIS people (and some podcasters!) during the trip.
• Star Wars Launch Bay: Beth and I have never been big Star Wars people, so we weren’t originally planning to visit the Launch Bay. When we had time and decided to meet Chewbacca, I was excited, but I didn’t think the Launch Bay would be a big deal for us, and it really wasn’t. The meet & greet was cute and I’m really glad we did it, but we really had no interest in the things we saw on line or in exploring more of the area. That said … over the past month or two, I’ve watched episodes III-VI (I’d already seen I & II), and now I kinda want to go back and see if I’d appreciate it more. Beth still hasn’t seen any Star Wars movies (and doesn’t have any interest in seeing them), so I don’t think we’d spend a lot of time there … maybe just 10-15 minutes exploring. Also, I love Chewbacca. And Han Solo. Sometimes I like Darth Vader. I don’t like Luke Skywalker.
• Beauty and the Beast – Live on Stage: I know a lot of people love this show, but we really did not. The costumes are great. Some of the staging is fantastic. But they changed the story a bit too much for me and I just couldn’t get over that. I’m not going to say “never see it,” but … I won’t go see it again.
• Star Wars Fireworks: We like fireworks, we don’t care much about Star Wars. So this was definitely a “see how we feel” decision. And I think we made the right decision. I know the fireworks have changed since we saw them, but when we saw them, we thought it was a great fireworks display that worked really well with the music. I don’t know if it’s a must-do, but I definitely recommend it for fireworks fans.
• runDisney 10K: The runDisney 10K was a new event for us, and it was definitely an excellent race choice. Despite some issues (rain, lack of characters), it was a really good event. The course they use for the 10K is fantastic … yes, it starts off a little boring, but once you get into Epcot and then to the resort area … it’s really fantastic. A 10K is not something to be taken lightly, but if you’re willing (and able) to train to run or walk 6.2 miles … I think the 10K is just a great Disney race.
• Monorail Through Epcot: We’ve taken the monorail in the MK area a few times, but never to Epcot. I know it doesn’t seem like an exciting activity, but I actually thought it was really cool to be on the monorail as it went through Epcot and to get that different view of the park. I don’t think it’s something I’d do every trip, but if I have a few non-park hours and want a little bit of that park feeling … it’s something to try.
• Electrical Water Pageant: So cute!! We’ve wanted to do this on previous trips, but never got around to it … and I’m glad we finally did. It’s a dinky little thing, and definitely not worth a lot of bother, but if you’re in the area and/or have a free night … I think it’s worth seeing at least once. We saw it from the Grand Floridian boat dock, which seemed like a good place (and was also a decent viewing area for Wishes, even though it didn’t have the music).
• Pixar Short Film Festival: At first thought, this doesn’t seem like something too exciting … it’s just three short films. But I actually really enjoyed it. It was a nice opportunity to sit back and relax, and I actually enjoyed (most) of the short films. I wouldn’t call it a must-do, but if you have some time and want something laid-back and enjoyable, then I definitely recommend this.
• Mini-Golf at Fantasia Gardens: While I will readily admit that I hate mini-golf, I will also admit that Beth and I come from a mini-golf family. So I’ve seen many mini-golf courses, from the relatively plain to the incredibly detailed and themed. This was definitely on the “incredibly detailed and themed” end of the spectrum. It was a little harder than I had expected (there were some pretty steep inclines that were hard to get the ball up), but the hints were cute and overall, it was fun. Definitely recommended if you’ve got some non-park time to fill.
• Princess Meals: I’m going to lump Akershus dinner and Cinderella’s Royal Table breakfast together for the purposes of this recap. We’d actually done Akershus dinner before, but that was 16 years ago, and there were no princesses. So these were our first two princess meals. While the interactions were shorter than they are at a regular park meet & greet (and the pictures were not nearly as good), we still had some good interactions with the princesses, and I think that if you want to see multiple princesses in a short period of time, a princess meal is a great idea. I’ve gone back and forth a few times in my head about which one is better, and ultimately … I think both were great experiences and I’d recommend either one.
• Peter Pan Meet & Greet at Magic Kingdom: We’ve met Peter Pan in Disneyland, but this was our first time meeting him at MK. The area was definitely cute, and Peter Pan was very chatty. I thought Peter Pan complained that Wendy talked too much … actually, he talks too much! Overall, it was a good experience though, and it was a great M&G.
• Finding Nemo The Musical: This was our first time seeing the show, and we enjoyed it. The puppetry and sets are absolutely fantastic. We definitely found it enjoyable and we’re glad we did it. I don’t think it’s an “every trip” type of show, but I think it’s definitely worth doing once.

Not everything we did was good. We did make a few mistakes during this trip. Here are some of them…

• Going to the Expo Hungry/Cranky: We were hoping to have a great time at the expo, and we really didn’t. And I think part of that was just going at the wrong time. I don’t want to go when it first opens because I’ve heard horror stories of the chaos (and I’m a big fan of avoiding the major crowds), but going right after spending most of the day in the park might have been a bad idea. Thinking about it now, we may have been better off going back to the hotel after our time at the park, eating something (like a big snack), and then going to the expo less hungry and cranky. That or we have to come to terms with the fact that expos just aren’t our thing (although we do okay at the NYC marathon expo).
• Not Buying Things I Wanted at the Expo: There were two hoodies I was interested in at the expo – a Raw Threads Tinker Bell-inspired hoodie and a runDisney hoodie. I ended up balking at both prices, and it was the wrong decision. I ended up buying the runDisney hoodie from the Disney Store online a few months later, and I still sometimes regret not getting the Raw Threads hoodie, since I wear my current one a lot and I wouldn’t mind having a second one (although I wouldn’t have bought both there). I have actually learned from this mistake, and a few months ago when I saw a skirt I really wanted at an expo, I bought it, even though the price was a little more than I had really wanted to pay. And it was worth it, because I wore that skirt for my Turkey Trot a few weeks ago. (This was a me mistake, not an us mistake … Beth was good and got what she wanted at the expo)
• Single Rider at Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster: I know this might not always be a popular opinion, but going for single rider at RNRC was a bad move. I think this is probably something that differs based on the day and the crowd, but for us … standby would have been a better idea. We probably would have waited less time had we gone standby, we would have been A LOT less frustrated, and both of us would have ridden (as you may remember, Beth ended up not riding because it was late, she didn’t want to wait any more, and she just doesn’t love this ride anyway). This was definitely a bit of a mood-changing mistake … but thankfully we had a FP+ for Fantasmic! and I got off the ride just in the nick of time, so it worked out okay.
• Skipping Animal Kingdom on Friday – We were originally planning to go to Animal Kingdom for a few hours after the 10K on Friday, but due to the rain and all of the general frustration of that day we decided to push AK off to Tuesday. I think now is the time to admit that Beth was strongly suggesting that we go to the park, but I really wasn’t feeling it, and I was the one who made the decision not to go. Disney Springs was nice, but it really wasn’t the right place for us that day. I think we would have been better off sucking it up and going to Animal Kingdom (we would have been grouchy at first but then enjoyed it, especially after the rain stopped) and saving our Disney Springs day for Tuesday. Or we could have added a day to our tickets and gone back to Epcot on Tuesday. As awesome as this trip was, if I had been given the opportunity to go back and change one thing, it would be this – I would force myself to be okay with going to AK after the race. Oh well, I’ll just have to work on inventing a time machine.
• Sunday Morning Mini-Golf/Epcot Swap: The original plan for Sunday morning was mini-golf, then Epcot. But when we got to Hollywood Studios and saw that the boats to the Swolphin were not running, I changed some of our FP+ and figured we’d hop a bus to Epcot, then come back to mini-golf later. Fine. As we were waiting for a bus to Epcot, we saw that there were buses to the Swolphin (I tried to move the FP+ back, but they weren’t all available). We ended up not really having time to do everything at Epcot. Mostly, I’m really annoyed at myself for skipping straight to Plan C and not even thinking that there would be a Plan B (aka bus to the Swolphin). The moral of the story here is … there may be another way to get where you’re trying to go.

Thankfully, this trip wasn’t all about the mistakes … there were a lot of things that we weren’t so sure about that we ended up doing right. Here are some examples:

• Memory Maker: Memory Maker was a big question mark for us. I have my little crappy point-and-shoot camera which I love, but we still thought that Memory Maker might be a good idea. The verdict? Definitely a good call! We used it a lot, and ended up with several hundred Memory Maker pictures. As you can see from this report, we got some great pictures. Plus, it’s always nice to not have anyone (except Beth) complaining about my camera. If you’re going to stop for pictures, I definitely recommend Memory Maker.
• FP+ Use: Those of you who read my last mini-TR know that Beth and I are big fans of the new FP+ system. I think we made good use of the FP+ system this trip, and while we did have a few of our typical “using the FP+ just for the sake of having the FP+,” I think most of our FP+ uses genuinely saved us some time and allowed us to pack extra fun into our day.
• Hollywood Studios: I’ve seen/heard a lot of people refer to Hollywood Studios as a “half-day park,” especially lately, and I’ve never felt this way. But this was also our first time spending a full day at DHS. Usually we spend ½ to ¾ths of the day at DHS, and always feel like there’s more for us to do. On this trip, we got to the park around 10:30ish and didn’t leave until after 8, which I’d call a full day. We managed to do pretty much everything we wanted to do (and even a few things we didn’t originally plan to do, like Star Wars Launch Bay), and we never hit a point where we couldn’t find something to do. I’d day that’s definitely a successful full day at the park.
• Races: We did the 5K and the 10K a little differently, so it may seem weird that I’m lumping them together, but I think we had a good approach to both races. We planned our mornings well and had enough time to get up and get to Epcot to see characters before the races (when they were there … grr rain), but still made it to our corrals in plenty of time. We probably could have planned better for the rain, but I’m still super proud of both of us for not getting too grumpy about the rain (we were somewhat grumpy, but … an appropriate level) – especially Beth, who did not have any protection from the rain (I at least had my hat for the pre-race area). I think we went into both races with a good attitude – focusing on the experience rather than sticking to a particular plan – and despite some hiccups (LIKE THE RAIN), we had good experiences at both races. There are a lot of different ways to approach a runDisney race, and I think the approach we chose (having a specific run/walk/character plan but modify on the fly for the best possible experience) worked out really well for us.
• Saturday Night: Last time we were at WDW on a Saturday Night, Magic Kingdom was open until 1 AM, so we used that opportunity to have an awesome 5-6 hours in the park (for those of you who don’t know, MK at night is one of my favorite things ever). But the latest any park was open that particular Saturday night was 10 PM, and 2-3 hours in the park after Shabbos just wasn’t worth it for us. I think we found a good collection of activities to keep us busy on Saturday night, and it was cool to experience several new things in one night. I don’t think I’d repeat this exact collection of activities again, but I think we found a good group of things to do, and I think that if we find ourselves in a similar situation again, we can find another set of fun activities to fill our free night.
• Playing Things By Ear at Magic Kingdom: We went into our second Magic Kingdom day with big dreams and fun plans. But sometimes, you’re not feeling the plans you made a few months back. So we decided not to go for our crazy FP+ quest … and that was okay. Yes, we made ample use of the FP+ system. But we also did what felt right at any given time, and didn’t live and die by the FP+. If we had been focused solely on getting the next FP+, I don’t know that we would have enjoyed ourselves. You have to be in the right mood for something like that. This was definitely a “go with what feels right, not the plan” situation, and it ended up working out well for us.

I just wanted to finish this recap with some overall thoughts on the trip.

Sarah’s Overall Thoughts: I have a hard time categorizing anything as my “best trip,” but if I were to do that, I think this trip would definitely be in the running. Yes, there were things that weren’t great (see above), but overall, we had such a good time, met a lot of great characters, met some awesome people, had some awesome experiences, and just overall had a great time. At the end of the trip, I was definitely sad to leave Disney (how could you not be?), but I also felt really satisfied with the trip and the experience. I’d say that overall, it was a fantastic experience, and really what I needed at that point in time. I WANT TO GO BACK!!!!

Beth’s Overall Thoughts: I, like my sister, am a big fan of all things Disney (well, not Star Wars but you get the point). I agree with pretty much all of what Sarah wrote about the good, the bad and the okay. I think the most important thing we learned is while it is definitely beneficial to plan ahead, your trip will be just that much better if you allow yourself to be flexible. The only thing I would actually change about what Sarah wrote above would be the Princess meals. I am a HUGE fan of Princesses - they probably put me in my five year old state of mind the most. But I think the interactions are much better and you can capture those interactions better are regular meet and greets. And I think that by not being confined to an eating schedule of a dinner reservation, you have a better flow to your day. My all-time favorite dining reservation is when we get last seating at BOG because then we know there is nothing else we could possibly be missing. And you should all know, I say this while Cinderella is my favorite princess and have always wanted to eat in her castle! I too want to go back!!!

Now that we’ve made our way through this trip, let’s talk about a few things we want to see and/or accomplish on our next trip:

• Trader Sam’s: We went to the Tiki Terrace, which was nice, but I still want to see the inside of Trader Sam’s. Next time we’ll either go when we have more time to wait, or go at a time when it’s less crowded (like maybe not 10:30 on a Saturday night).
• Galactic Hero: This trip, Beth got very close to Galactic Hero on Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin. Next trip, I want one of us to hit it! It will probably take a lot of practice and some helpful tips from the internet (smartphones were invented so that we can Google ride tips while on line, right?), but I’m hoping we can get there!
• Enchanted Tiki Room: Can you believe that we’ve never done the Tiki Room (on either coast)? It’s one of those things that we just never get around to doing. Maybe next trip will finally be the trip…

Speaking of next trip, what is next for us?
When we first started our Disney adventures, we liked to alternate coasts. Well, we haven’t been to Disneyland since 2012, and we’ve been to WDW 4 years in a row, so we really want to get back out to our beloved Disneyland. With Beth’s school situation (she’s hopefully starting grad school in August) and my work situation (or lack thereof), we really have no idea when that trip will happen.
I would like to run a Disney half marathon in 2017 (really, I’d like to run 2, one on each coast so that I can get the 10th anniversary Coast-to-Coast medal, but that’s not happening), but we really don’t know if/when we can make that happen.
So our Disney plans for the foreseeable future are basically … no idea what’s going to happen. But we have booked quite a few last-minute trips in the past, so we may still be able to make something work in 2017. We’ll just have to see what happens.

And finally, to close out the trip … Approximate Summary Stats:
Total Steps: 158,833 steps (avg. 19,854 steps per day)
Total Miles: 68.2 miles (avg. 8.5 miles per day)
Total Flights of Stairs: 72 floors (avg. 9 flights of stairs per day)

 

[disneydaydreamer33]

Great last thoughts. I appreciate that you take the time to help people decide if things would be worth it for them. You gave me some great ideas for our short trip coming up. It sounds like you planned and executed a great vacation.
I hope you get to Disneyland soon!!

 

[natebenma]

Really enjoyed your report. Thanks for sharing the trip with us and giving a wrap up.

I hope your next Disney trip (either coast) is sooner rather than later!

 

[Wood Nymph]

I enjoyed reading your report, especially since we were at WDW for a few of the same days that you were there. It was very interesting for me to hear about how they have improved the runDisney races. We were at Disney during both the Jan marathon and the Princess half in Feb and I loved seeing the runners from both races wearing their medals in the parks. The princess runners had the best "bling" and outfits. It would be very tempting to run one of those races.

We've been throwing our fp+ plans out the window and just being more spontaneous and it has made our trips more enjoyable.

We stayed at the Grand Floridian earlier this month and I enjoyed watching both the Electric Water pageant and the fireworks from MK from the shore. I especially enjoyed the Holiday Wishes. I couldn't hear the music from the boat dock but they did pipe it in on the porch at Narcoossee's and the outdoor eating area in front of Gasparilla's.

I've also enjoyed hearing about your Sabbath at Disney. We have a new oven with a Sabbath setting and it made me think of you.

 

[rteetz]

Really enjoyed the TR and reading your final thoughts. I also loved getting to meet you on this trip that was fun even if it was quick and during a race.

I really hope you get back and do that Disney half. I know you can do it and I highly recommend it.

 

[SarahDisney]

Great last thoughts. I appreciate that you take the time to help people decide if things would be worth it for them. You gave me some great ideas for our short trip coming up. It sounds like you planned and executed a great vacation.
I hope you get to Disneyland soon!!

Thank you - it definitely was a great vacation.
I hope your vacation ends up being awesome and that the ideas you got from reading this enhance the trip!

Really enjoyed your report. Thanks for sharing the trip with us and giving a wrap up.

I hope your next Disney trip (either coast) is sooner rather than later!

Thanks - I'm glad you enjoyed!

I enjoyed reading your report, especially since we were at WDW for a few of the same days that you were there. It was very interesting for me to hear about how they have improved the runDisney races. We were at Disney during both the Jan marathon and the Princess half in Feb and I loved seeing the runners from both races wearing their medals in the parks. The princess runners had the best "bling" and outfits. It would be very tempting to run one of those races.

Thanks for the kind words! Princess is definitely a fun weekend - I loved some of the outfits I saw when I was there for that weekend a few years ago!

We've been throwing our fp+ plans out the window and just being more spontaneous and it has made our trips more enjoyable.

I'm so glad to hear that this works for you - I know a few people (including us) who do it and it really seems that despite what some people say, you can have an amazing, spontaneous trip!

We stayed at the Grand Floridian earlier this month and I enjoyed watching both the Electric Water pageant and the fireworks from MK from the shore. I especially enjoyed the Holiday Wishes. I couldn't hear the music from the boat dock but they did pipe it in on the porch at Narcoossee's and the outdoor eating area in front of Gasparilla's.

Good to know that they pipe the music in by Narcoose's and Gasparilla's - something to think about for future trips!

I've also enjoyed hearing about your Sabbath at Disney. We have a new oven with a Sabbath setting and it made me think of you.

I always wonder what people who don't know anything about Shabbos think about the Sabbath mode on ovens (I don't think we've ever used it - I don't even remember if my current oven has a Sabbath mode).

Really enjoyed the TR and reading your final thoughts. I also loved getting to meet you on this trip that was fun even if it was quick and during a race.

I really hope you get back and do that Disney half. I know you can do it and I highly recommend it.

Thanks for the kind words! It was awesome to meet you during the race, and I'm really glad you were out there watching and cheering! (I wish I could do the same for you next week, but alas ... I'll be stuck in cold, no-Disney NY)

 

[Saphire5742]

Thank you for a great TR and sharing your final thoughts. I've really enjoyed reading about your experiences, especially the races.

 

[afwdwfan]

I know I've been gone, but it was nice following along with your trip. I'm sorry you don't have any firm future plans for a trip. It's always fun to have something in the works. It's a good thing you didn't try to run the 1/2 this year though since it got canceled.

 

[SarahDisney]

Thank you for a great TR and sharing your final thoughts. I've really enjoyed reading about your experiences, especially the races.

Thanks for following along! I'm glad you enjoyed reading.

I know I've been gone, but it was nice following along with your trip. I'm sorry you don't have any firm future plans for a trip. It's always fun to have something in the works. It's a good thing you didn't try to run the 1/2 this year though since it got canceled.

Thanks for following along. It's definitely a bummer that I don't have anything planned, but oh well.
I feel bad for people who were there to run the half this weekend ... it's a tough break, but runDisney did what they felt was best. A lot of people ended up running the distance around their resorts - it was actually really cool to read stories of groups running around the resorts, people bringing their kids out in costume for "character stops," and people giving out water and powerade. People really made the best of a bad situation.